Authorities: inmate at Tennessee county jail hangs himself

BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. – Authorities say a male inmate at a county jail in northeast Tennessee has hanged himself.

The Times-News of Kingsport reports ( http://bit.ly/2pXdEc3 ) the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation identified the inmate as 39-year-old Dana Clyde Fritts Jr. and said it was investigating the circumstances of his death.

Sheriff's Office Capt. Andy Seabolt in Sullivan County told The Times-News that the inmate was found unresponsive during a routine headcount Friday evening. Seabolt added in a statement that emergency medical help was immediately summoned and that corrections officers administered CPR until paramedics arrived.

The man was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, according to the sheriff's spokesman. He says no further information would be released while the investigation is ongoing.